WasteCap Nebraska

Select Van and Storage: Case Study

Situation:

As companies prepare to go green and to become more environmentally safe, there are many questions that arise. How does one become green? Where do I go to get this information? And how will this help my company? The information is all out there, but it is also very important to see and hear what other companies are doing.

About Select Van and Storage:

Select Van and Storage is a subdivision of Mayflower Transit. They are a family owned and operated business that is one of the nation’s leaders in household relocation and moving services. They offer a wide range of eco-friendly services including using tote boxes, APU’s and donations to EarthHomes. They have been a member of WasteCap Nebraska since 2009.

About the Green Team Roundtables:

WasteCap Nebraska’s Green Team Roundtable’s are a chance for business professionals to learn what other companies from their region are doing to decrease waste and to improve our environment. One company will host, and show what they are doing in their environmental efforts, normally including a tour as well as a discussion and a WasteCap workshop. This gives the companies in attendance a chance get new ideas on how to become greener. The pride of the Green Team Roundtables is that it also gives businesses a chance to network which may lead to more business and a healthy stimulation of the local economy. In Omaha the Green Team Roundtables occur on the 2nd Wednesday of even-numbered months.

Select Van and Storage and WasteCap Nebraska’s Green Team Roundtable’s:

Select Van and Storage hosted a Green Team Roundtable in June 2009, and have been an active participant in Green Team Roundtable’s since then.

Searching for Information about Becoming Green:

In the search to help your company become greener, Green Team Roundtable’s are here to help. Every couple of months your area, Lincoln, Omaha, Southeastern Nebraska and Northeastern Nebraska will hold a meeting. These focus on a different company and theme each time. This gives the host a chance to explain what they are doing in an effort to become green. For Select Van and Storage, this gave them a chance to show the people who attended all about their company and initiatives. These included tote boxes, the tire donations they give to Earth Homes as well as the carbon reducing aspects such as more aerodynamic trucks and the use of APU’s. As a host, they received many compliments on their efforts. By attending meetings, they have gotten many chances to learn how to go green as well. “We’ve learned a lot about things we already do as a company, as well as little things we didn’t know were green,” said Regan Smith.

Helping out Your Business:

These Green Team Roundtables are extremely effective in connecting business that may not know about each other otherwise. Select Van and Storage has first hand experience with this aspect. Being a moving company there is always a lot of waste, and knowing which companies around the state will do recycling is a plus. For example Regan Smith informed us because she knew of a company that did shredding, she had informed the staff at Mayflower to direct calls for that certain aspect of recycling to that company. This helpfulness is a large part of why Green Team Roundtables are so effective. Not only will one learn how other companies are becoming greener, they also get a chance to sit down and network with these people, which may lead to more business.

Conclusion:

Green Team Roundtables create an effective learning environment that not only introduces companies to new and exciting possibilities for a safer, cleaner environment, but it also gives many the opportunity to network with potential clients. It is vital to join a community in which your values are important. Becoming a more responsible company whose initiatives include becoming safer for the environment as well as conserving waste is a value worth having. In a country where your reputation is a large part of your successfulness, the Green Team Roundtables are a new way to drum up business, and learn how to make your business better.

Information for this case study was gathered at an interview at Select Van and Storage with Regan Smith in Omaha, Nebraska, along with research done by the author, Jamie Jaques.